DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Health & Science

Indonesian Minister Proposes Focusing Nutrition Program on 6 Provinces to Combat Stunting

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesia's Ministry of Population and Family Planning suggests prioritizing six provinces for the free nutritious meal program to combat stunting.
  • These six provinces, West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, and Banten, account for nearly half of the nation's stunting cases.
  • The ministry supports focusing the program on pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, especially in high-burden areas, to improve human resource quality.

Indonesia's Ministry of Population and Family Planning (Kemendukbangga) has proposed a strategic focus on six key provinces to significantly reduce the national stunting rate. Minister Wihaji recommended that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) prioritize these provinces for its free nutritious meal program (MBG), as they collectively house nearly half of the country's stunted toddlers.

According to the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SGGI), West Java has the highest number of stunted toddlers at approximately 638,000, followed by Central Java (486,000), East Java (431,000), North Sumatra (316,000), East Nusa Tenggara (214,000), and Banten (210,000). Minister Wihaji emphasized that priority should be based not only on the highest stunting percentage but also on the largest absolute number of cases.

"Priority regions should not only be based on the highest stunting percentage but also the largest number of stunted toddlers," Wihaji stated. He believes that successfully reducing stunting in these six provinces would have a substantial impact on national targets, given their significant contribution to the overall problem.

Priority regions should not only be based on the highest stunting percentage but also the largest number of stunted toddlers.

— WihajiMinister Wihaji explaining the criteria for selecting priority provinces for the nutritious meal program.

The ministry's proposal aligns with the BGN's plan to shift the MBG program's focus to "3B" groups: pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. Wihaji endorsed this strategy, recognizing the critical importance of the first 1,000 days of life for a child's physical growth, brain development, and long-term health. He noted that interventions during this period yield the most significant results.

While supporting the targeted approach, Wihaji also stressed the need for continued attention to eastern Indonesia, including NTT, Papua, and Maluku, due to high rates of anemia in pregnant women, chronic energy deficiency, and poverty. The national stunting prevalence currently stands at 19.8%, a decrease from 21.5% in 2023 but still far from the 14.2% target.

Various studies show that nutritional interventions given during pregnancy up to two years of age yield much greater impacts.

— WihajiMinister Wihaji discussing the importance of early-life nutrition for child development.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog